Baseball Game Preview: Kelliher/Northome Mustangs vs. Pine River-Backus Tigers

Kelliher/Northome is 0-6 against Pine River-Backus since April of 2015 but things could change on Thursday. The Mustangs will square off against the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. Kelliher/Northome has given up an average of 11.4 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Friday just wasn't the day for Kelliher/Northome's offense. They lost 14-0 to Walker-Hackensack-Akeley on Friday. The loss leaves the Mustangs still looking for their first win of the season.

Meanwhile, Pine River-Backus made easy work of McGregor on Tuesday and carried off an 8-1 win. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by seven runs or more this season.

Jonathan Shogren made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run.

In other batting news, Pine River-Backus let Koal Oberfell and Andrew Volk run wild. Oberfell got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, while Volk got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI. Those two RBI gave Volk a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Dabill, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI.

Kelliher/Northome's defeat dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Pine River-Backus, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-6.

Kelliher/Northome suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to Pine River-Backus in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Mustangs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.